


Ordinary Heroes

by Skymerald



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Cutesy, Fluff, Horrible Puns, One Shot, cute dorks being dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 13:47:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14916503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skymerald/pseuds/Skymerald
Summary: Adrien manages to get a night out on his own in Paris. While riding the subway, it's not long before a familiar face and an unexpected akuma throw all his plans askew...





	Ordinary Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this trying to keep things in line with how the show works, more so with the akuma - comical, but also somewhat of a threat. And while I adore the love square, I mostly wanted to keep this as light fluff and not have too much romantic overtones beyond the norm. Otherwise, please enjoy!

Adrien tugged nervously at the hood of his sweater, hoping it was doing its job of concealing him from any curious passersby, and thus thwart his attempts to enjoy an evening to himself. It wasn’t often he got a chance to go off on his own, even if it meant lying to his father - nothing he wasn’t used to, superhero identity aside. All the boy hoped was that Gabriel chose not to call up Nino, his de facto excuse for going out, and demand Adrien return home early.

A tinny voice from the intercom announced the imminent arrival of the next subway train, scattering his anxious thoughts and leaving excitement to take their place. Adrien loved spending time with his friends, but tonight he just wanted to wander around Paris, take in the sights. Maybe catch a movie, or check out some of the local street performers that appeared in the evenings. He had a few hours, all he could wring from his father on a school night, to do as he pleased.

The faint screech of the approaching train had him looking up and drawing his shoulders in tight as other passengers swarmed to the platform. Thankfully no one seemed to take extra notice of one lone teenager doing his best to avoid contact, many concerned with just getting on the train car first for the best seats.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Adrien sidled on with the crowd and opted to stand instead as the seats filled, reaching out with one hand to grab hold of a pole for balance. It wasn’t a very crowded car, but Adrien still felt a bit nervous someone might glance his way and recognize him - one of the downsides to modeling for his father’s brand, what with his face plastered over a good portion of Paris. He gripped the pole tighter as the train began to move, relaxing enough after it passed through a tunnel to risk looking around the train car.

His gaze snagged on a familiar face, but not because of who it was. Rather, it was the heartbroken expression that kept his attention, wondering what had happened to put it there. Marinette, with her open warmth and cheerful nature, was so rarely upset that he felt an indescribable tug to go over and ask what was wrong. She was sitting at the back of the car with her shoulders slumped, arms folded inwards over the purse she carried everywhere and eyes downcast.

No one was paying her much mind as she radiated misery, except for himself. Which was why Adrien found himself murmuring apologies as he shouldered through a throng of people to stand just in front of his fellow classmate and bend forwards to better speak to her. “Marinette? Is everything all right?” he queried, watching with faint amusement as her head shot up like a startled rabbit’s. Her cheeks went pinkish as she recognized him, but fresh sadness pervaded after a moment before she mustered the courage to answer his question. “Oh. A-Adrien, I uh... well, n-no,” Marinette replied, briefly meeting his eyes before she looked at the floor again. She sighed.

“It’s just... my papa’s never been that angry with me before. Not even apologizing made him any less upset,” Marinette began, hunching inwards again, as if to brace against whatever was making her hurt. “He didn’t want me going out alone, with all the akumatized people that have been showing up the past few weeks. We had a big argument about it, but this was the only time I could go and buy something to make him a birthday present.” Marinette bit her lip anxiously, finally meeting Adrien’s gaze again with tear-bright eyes. “I had to sneak out, and I’m sure he’ll be super angry when I get back,” she said in renewed misery.

He knew far too well about upset fathers, even if Gabriel’s version of upset wasn’t quite the same as most people’s. “He was just worried about you, Marinette,” Adrien said. Gabriel Agreste may have been cool and distant, but he did care about Adrien - that much he was certain. “I don’t blame him, with how many people have been akumatized this week.”

“I tried telling him there wasn’t that much to worry about with Ladybug and Cat Noir around to protect Paris, but he wouldn’t listen to me,” Marinette said, bitterly. Her fingers tightened briefly around her purse, a glimpse into her inner turmoil. Adrien paused, wanting to agree, though he knew her father wasn’t in the wrong to worry so. “I know he’s got reason enough to worry, just-- He wouldn’t even let me go hang out at Alya’s! I spend enough time grounded, it’s not fair that when I have free time that I can’t even be with my friends for a few hours,” Marinette huffed.

( _Grounded a lot? Sounds familiar._ ) Adrien found that tidbit interesting, although the reason why she would possibly be grounded was unclear. Marinette didn’t strike him a troublemaker, or someone who butted heads with her parents often. He had to shrug that train of thought aside for the moment, and try to focus on offering what comfort he could to a friend in need.

“If your father was worried about you being on your own, what if I came along?” Adrien offered as the inspiration struck him. Her blue eyes widened, and a ghost of a smile tugged at her mouth. “H-huh? You’d do that for m-me?” she asked, awestruck. Her reaction only deepened his resolve, and the blonde youth found himself nodding. “I may not be a superhero, but I’m sure I can keep you safe all the same,” Adrien said with an ironic grin. If it came to helping a friend, he was more than willing to give up his long-sought evening of freedom just to put a smile back on her face.

Marinette smiled tremulously, but it didn’t last long as the train car suddenly came to a very sudden and screeching halt, passengers being tossed unceremoniously from their seats. Marinette herself nearly toppled Adrien over as she was thrown against him, only his quick reflexes keeping them both upright. The lights in the car flickered, this serving to heighten the frightened murmurs issuing around them.

 _‘Attention passengers: we are experiencing... technical difficulties, owing to what appears to be dough on the tracks,’_ the conductor’s voice said from the intercom, crackling through a great deal of static. People exchanged baffled looks upon hearing this - dough? _‘Please remain inside the train while we investigate further.’_

“We can’t just stay put in here for some baloney story,” complained a man who was rubbing a bump on his head. “Dough? What kind of nonsense is that? It’s probably just engine problems.” He ignored some mutters from his fellow passengers as he headed towards the back of the car. As he reached out for the door handle, the door was unexpectedly ripped off and hurled a good distance into the darkness, clattering noisily against the tracks. 

Stepping into the weak illumination provided by the still flickering lights was a very broad-shouldered person, sporting the attire of a chef complete with a dark blue apron liberally coated in flour. Adrien, as transfixed as the rest of the train car’s current occupants, stared his fill at what he was now assuming as another akumatized victim of Hawk Moth’s. Eerie blue eyes lacking pupils swept across the crowd, the mouth below a mustache that appeared to be made of croissants curving into a disappointed frown. The man’s hair was chocolate mousse that spiked up in a nearly comical manner, furrowed eyebrows made of the same substance giving his scowl more depth. His arms, shoulders and chest were quite powerful, giving him a very intimidating physical appearance. What could be seen of his skin was a solid golden brown and bore a texture similar to bread, markings along his bare forearms serving to strengthen that likeness.

“And just who do you think you are?” demanded the man who’d tried to open the door, glowering at the akumatized villain. He backed up hastily as the villain hefted a weapon into view and leveled it at him. “I am Doughstroyer, and I’m going to make Paris a safer place for my daughter by encasing everything dangerous in dough - starting with those pesky superheroes,” the villain replied before pressing something on his weapon. A noise like a cannon-shot filled the car, along with cloud of flour that billowed out and briefly consumed the first man from view. “Anyone who doesn’t comply with my orders will end up just like him!” Doughstroyer announced as the flour cloud faded to reveal the man trapped in a huge pile of dough.

The trapped man struggled to free himself, but the dough was too sticky to easily break free from, and his feeble attempts did not last long before he slumped over from the effort.

Adrien felt a tight grip on his wrist and looked aside to see Marinette’s bleak expression. “I think that’s my father,” she whispered fearfully. “I... I-I did this to him.” She dropped her hands following that desolate statement and backed away, slowly enough to not draw Doughstroyer’s attention. Adrien wanted to follow her, but he knew where his duty lay, and he had to find somewhere safe to transform in order to keep Marinette - and the other passengers - safe.

“You didn’t do this to him, Marinette. It was all Hawk Moth, preying on his emotions,” Adrien responded in a soft voice, trying, somewhat, to comfort her.

He hesitated as Doughstroyer started climbing into the train car - if this was Marinette’s father, and he saw her here... no, he couldn’t let that happen. Adrien edged through the crowd of panicking people, placing an urgent hand on Marinette’s shoulder when he reached her. “We have to get you somewhere safe,” Adrien whispered, low. 

The distressed look Marinette gave him told him that she’d figured out as much as he had, and she nodded quickly. They were far enough back that Doughstroyer couldn’t see them very well, but Adrien couldn’t bank on that lasting long as people began screaming while they were encased in sticky dough prisons of their own. 

Someone had managed to pry open the doors, and frantic passengers spilled out onto the tracks to escape. “Take my hand!” Adrien called above the noise, reaching for Marinette as they were roughly jostled on their way to the doors.

He caught hold of her right as they were pushed out of the doors by eager escapees, following everyone else sprinting down the tunnel to a station stop that was thankfully close by. Adrien boosted Marinette onto the platform before scrambling up himself, letting go of her hand just before they reached the stairs. The crowd did the rest of the work, ferrying Marinette up and to safety while giving him ample cover to head further down the platform and duck out of sight.

“Plagg - claws out!”

\--

Marinette gasped for breath as she and the other passengers reached the top of the stairs and emerged into a fine Parisian evening, looking around anxiously for Adrien as they all dispersed. There was no sign of him, and a paralyzing sort of fear gripped her - had Doughstroyer caught up to him as they’d gotten separated near the stairway? 

Before she could let the despair sink in any deeper, the villain in question made a spectacular exit of his own by bursting out of the ground, sending chunks of concrete scattering everywhere. “Now now, don’t be so pastry in escaping me! You’ll be perfect for drawing those blasted heroes out!” he bellowed, firing away at the stragglers.

Even cars were not spared the dough treatment, several horns adding to the collective din of screaming as they collided with other vehicles caught in Doughstroyer’s rampage. Marinette felt like a deer in the headlights as Doughstroyer fired indiscriminately in every direction, too petrified to move and attract his attention but knowing he’d see her eventually. Her legs didn’t want to obey her, despite every instinct screaming out to run.

Doughstroyer, who had been laughing in pure, unhindered joy as he wreaked havoc, abruptly went silent as he spun round on the spot and caught sight of Marinette.

“This little beignet isn’t in her room where she belongs,” Doughstroyer said in a voice filled with cold fury. Marinette wanted to close her eyes against the guilt that had formed a hard knot in her chest, but forced herself to meet her akumatized father’s glare. “Papa, please just listen to me,” she began, shrinking back when Doughstroyer raised his dough gun in her direction. “I’m not your papa anymore. But perhaps your disobedience works in my favour, with Chat Noir and Ladybug late to the party. Clearly I need to up the stakes. So, be a good girl for once tonight, and hold still,” Doughstroyer ordered before firing in her direction.

“Think again!”

It took a moment to process what happened next - the flour-coated glob of dough flying towards her, someone rushing in from the side to sweep her off her feet with a sound like a tinkling bell, and the outraged yell of a villain temporarily thwarted. Marinette blinked, dazed, and peered up at the charming grin on Chat Noir’s handsome face as he helped her stand upright a fair distance from her original position. “You all right kitten?” he asked as he stepped in front of her to block another pastry shot from Doughstroyer.

“Y-yes, for now,” Marinette managed to get out, beyond grateful for his interference. Now all she had to do was slip away to transform, if Chat Noir could keep Hawk Moth’s villain of the week at bay. “Good. If I were you, though, I’d go find somewhere safe and lie low,” the leather-clad superhero said, head turning partially her way so he could flash an unrepentant wink. Despite the situation, Marinette found herself smiling - Chat Noir was good at that, almost too good.

Remembering Adrien was lost, or had fallen victim to Doughstroyer’s weapon, proved effective enough to splash cold water on her amusement. “Don’t worry purrincess - I’ll make sure this half-baked hooligan stays put,” Chat Noir assured her, twirling his staff before making a wild leap in Doughstroyer’s direction, toying with him like... well, a cat.

“You think this is the only trick I’ve got in my arsenal?” Doughstroyer boasted, reaching into his apron to extract a pair of beautifully decorated cookies. Quick flicks of the wrist sent them flying into lamp posts along the sidewalk, slicing right through the metal like it was nothing. “Whoa, I know adults always said too much dessert was bad for you, but this is taking it too far!” Chat Noir said with a quick laugh as he dodged out of the way of another pair of cookies aimed in his direction. “Cookies are supposed to be the ones crumbling - not me!”

Marinette had almost made it to an alleyway she’d seen across the intersection when a ringing screech had her scrambling to a halt, just in time to avoid the traffic light sawed through by an unseen cookie disc coming crashing down in her path. “Leaving so soon? The party’s just getting started!” Doughstroyer roared, dough gun swinging round before a well-timed attack from Chat Noir sent it flying across the debris-strewn pavement.

Doughstroyer didn’t seem too upset by losing his weapon, retreating out of staff range to reach his hand out to one of the cars he’d encased earlier. Dough bubbled and morphed under his touch, reforming itself into a long, deadly looking bread claymore. “Hahaha, you think taking my dough gun away will stop me for long? The powers Hawk Moth bestowed upon me are more than enough to make me a match for you,” Doughstroyer said, disdainful. He lunged towards Chat Noir, the ensuing staff/bread sword fight sending both of them leaping all over the place as they tried to outsmart and outfight the other.

One thing kept Chat Noir from gaining the upper hand - having to mind her presence, Marinette thought. She’d been attempting to escape during their drawn-out battle, usurped by debris too large to climb over, or the fight itself bidding fair to catch her up in it. Yet she knew the cat superhero was well aware she was still in the area, and tried to keep Doughstroyer away, as he’d promised. It left him at a clear disadvantage, while the villain held no such qualms and fought mercilessly.

“Where’s your Ladybug friend?” Doughstroyer taunted, catching Chat Noir with a solid blow to the side. “She doesn’t seem like much of a partner if she hasn’t bothered to come back you up!” Marinette winced, both for Chat Noir’s pained grunt and for her own inability to answer that question. He wasn’t going to be able to hold out forever, each passing minute slowly taking its toll.

“She’ll be here. But you’re not much of a cat person huh? So eager to be rid of me?” Chat Noir responded, with a little less gusto than before. He slipped up as he went to swing at Doughstroyer, staff whistling through the air over the villain’s head... leaving him wide open for a nasty hit from the bread claymore that sent Chat Noir flying clear across the intersection. The superhero landed awkwardly, cat ears drooping as he struggled to rise back up through his exhaustion. Doughstroyer laughed, bending over to pick up his dough gun. “How the mighty have fallen. Once I’ve got you stuck in place, your Miraculous is as good as mine,” the villain said, uttering another triumphant laugh, and fired.

Chat Noir braced himself, eyes closing - for a hit that never came.

He looked up and felt his heart stick in his throat; Marinette stood in front of him, arms thrown wide to protect him where he knelt while her lower half was encased in sticky dough. “Why?” Chat Noir whispered, stunned by her sacrifice. “Go,” Marinette said in a soft voice, her smile sad. “Go rest up, and come find me when you do. It’s the least I can do after you kept me safe all this time.”

Watching the anguish that crossed his face was hard to bear, but Marinette knew she’d made the right choice protecting him. It was better that he had a chance to come back for round two, rather than both of them be taken out of the equation in one fell swoop.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Doughstroyer’s angry voice cut through the tense silence, spurring Chat Noir into action. He gave Marinette one last look before he vaulted onto the nearest rooftop and vanished into the twilight.

“Tch!” the villain grumbled as he ambled forwards, glowering down at the defiant expression on Marinette’s face. “He’ll be back for you, at the very least. And maybe this time he’ll bring along Ladybug.” Doughstroyer bent down and, with an amazing display of strength, lifted the sticky dough prison off the ground. Marinette wobbled dangerously, feeling the first pangs of regret - had she really thought this through?

With her purse currently trapped within the dough, and Tikki with it, she didn’t have much choice but to play the damsel in distress a little longer.

\--

Adrien sagged gratefully against the building behind him as he transformed, holding out one hand to allow a very tired Plagg to rest on it. “Hope you have a huge wedge of Camembert for me,” the cat kwami groaned. “It’s not huge, but it’ll have to do for now. There’s someone who needs Chat Noir a lot more than they need Adrien,” the boy replied, grimacing at the stink of the cheese wedge offered to Plagg, who took it with great gusto.

Giving Plagg some time to eat, Adrien looked up towards the darkening sky and couldn’t help sighing. He’d gotten Marinette in more trouble than she’d bargained for, and all because he wasn’t strong enough to fight one supervillain. Maybe Doughstroyer had been right - he wasn’t much without Ladybug. It struck him as odd that she hadn’t shown up at all, despite word of Doughstroyer’s rampage plastered all over the news, when she was usually the first one on the scene of an akuma sighting.

A thought intruded - perhaps she couldn’t have appeared to save the day, if she was the one the akumatized person was focused on. Adrien had a hard time reconciling the notion that Marinette was his crime fighting partner; it just seemed too outlandish.

Ladybug, for one, was cool, collected and brimming with confidence. Marinette, while sweet, shy and more than a little clumsy, didn't quite have that same proud bearing. And yet, Adrien had to admit there were some noticeable similarities - both very driven in pursuit of what they thought was right, and cared deeply for others, enough to put them above their own needs.

The latter was expected of Ladybug, a superhero dedicated to Paris; it made Marinette a better person than most, and was nearly enough to make him reassess his initial doubts on her masquerading as Ladybug. She'd stepped in front of that attack to protect Chat Noir without flinching, too. But his time to ponder was over as Plagg finally finished off his snack.

“You owe me big time when we get home!” Plagg said, letting out a small burp after the last of the cheese disappeared into his mouth. Adrien smiled, glad the kwami had improved a great deal even from just a small amount of his beloved Camembert. “You got it. For now, though, claws out!”

He stretched after the transformation took hold, determination renewed - save Marinette, and keep Doughstroyer busy for a little while longer. Ladybug or no Ladybug, he wouldn’t let the sacrifice be in vain. A few quick leaps saw him to the top of the building, affording him a wide view of Paris to search for wherever Doughstroyer would have fled. The Eiffel Tower seemed obvious, too much so. But it was his best place to start looking.

“Just hang on a bit longer for me, purrincess.”

\--

Marinette was hanging on, all right. Doughstroyer’s plan saw her dangling precariously from the balcony of Le Grand Paris’ rooftop, to act as bait for Chat Noir. Even though she wasn’t scared of heights, seeing how far below the ground was, and knowing all that kept her from plummeting down there was a string of dough, left her nearly breathless with fear.

The villain strolled the rooftop behind her impatiently, ignoring the police calling up with megaphones and demanding his immediate surrender with contemptuous ease. He could have silenced them with some dough blasts, opting instead to save his energy and attention for Chat Noir’s inevitable return.

Swallowing nervously as a gust of wind set her dough prison rocking, Marinette almost closed her eyes, and thus almost missed a flash of movement from a nearby building. Despite the evening progressing well into night, she could just make out Chat Noir’s silhouette against the dark tiles, a spark of hope wriggling its way into her chest. Doughstroyer grumbled angrily from just above her, and that spark grew bigger - he hadn’t seen the cat superhero approaching.

She had to keep her father occupied, to give Chat Noir the best opportunity to come closer, and managed, with great difficulty, to partially swing herself so she could watch the villain as he paced. “Why did you make a deal with Hawk Moth? I thought you were upset about all the akumas - I don’t understand why you’d fall victim to one,” Marinette said, giving Doughstroyer pause as he turned to look at her. “Hmph. I don’t suppose you would truly understand, but regardless - he knew I would do anything to protect my family, and pointed out that taking away the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir would ensure no more akumas would be sent forth.”

“Okaaay... but why go after all those innocent civilians? Or me?” she pressed, anxiously. “I told you why - you’re bait for that pesky cat. Everyone else was just... venting some repressed feelings,” Doughstroyer responded, head tilting one way as a smile crossed his face. “That, and how else would I get the attention of those pesky heroes? Ask nicely on the nightly news?”

He fired his dough gun abruptly, cursing under his breath when the dough only struck a fallen planter. One that hadn’t been there before, Marinette realized. Doughstroyer strode over to inspect the mystery planter’s appearance, suspicious, opening a window for Chat Noir to sneak in through. The feline hero materialized next to her, perched atop his trusty staff. He shifted one hand to grasp the balcony, withdrawing his staff to its smaller size, though the reason why wasn’t immediately obvious.

His familiar grin lightened her heart, which had grown a bit heavy from hearing her father’s reasoning to giving in to the akuma, and she couldn’t help smiling back at him. “Try not to scream, okay? A hard task in my awesome presence, I’m sure,” he whispered before aiming his staff at where the dough kept her suspended.

If the dough hadn’t been under the strain of her weight, his staff may have simply bounced off - instead it easily cleaved through, and she felt a moment’s terror of weightlessness before Chat Noir swept her into his arms. His leap carried them to the roof she’d first spotted him upon, and his claws made quick work of what dough remained upon her.

Before she could thank him, Chat Noir bore her down to the street, opposite of the hotel’s entrance where the police were set up. “There you go, kitten,” he said, releasing her with another charming smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, round two awaits.”

“Wait!”

Chat Noir paused as Marinette put one hand on his arm, green eyes bright with curiosity. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tugged him into a warm hug, a sensation that temporarily rendered him speechless. After a moment, he returned the embrace, gathering the feelings this evoked to keep close - he needed all the strength he could get to take on Doughstroyer without Ladybug’s assistance. “Thank you for saving me,” Marinette said as she relinquished him from the hug.

“I should be the one thanking you,” Chat Noir responded, causing her to look up in surprise. “You stood in front of that blast for me, protected me when I thought things were about to get a lot worse. That kind of bravery, that kind of selflessness... you’re quite the hero. More than I can say for myself tonight.”

Hearing herself described that way put a blush to her cheeks and had her stammering denials. “M-me? A hero? I don’t have any special powers, like you, or Ladybug. I’m just plain, ordinary Marinette,” she said with a nervous laugh. Chat Noir’s expression shifted from serious to possessing a hint of feline amusement, hopefully not at her expense. 

“You don’t need super powers to be a hero. Paris would be a much grander city if there were more people like you.”

This time she couldn’t bring herself to speak up and deny it; there was just something about the heartfelt statement that would make any repudiation come off as childish. So instead Marinette smiled at him and simply said, “Stay safe.” Peculiar to remark to a superhero, but he was one of Paris’ greatest treasures, after all. And, unbeknownst to him, her cherished partner in crime fighting.

He bowed to her, over one arm, before a cheeky grin saw him vaulting back up to the top of La Grand Paris.

Once assured he was out of sight, Marinette opened her purse and heaved a relieved sigh as Tikki emerged, the kwami looking more annoyed than Marinette had ever seen her. “Sorry Tikki. Things were going a bit beyond my control,” she apologized, after explaining the evening’s events. “You took a big risk protecting Chat Noir, but I know you weren’t being irresponsibly reckless. So I’ll forgive you - this time,” Tikki said, tone implying dire consequences.

“I’ll be careful, if there’s a next time. I’ve kept Chat Noir waiting for long enough, so... spots on!”

\--

It felt good to shift into her superhero persona - it was one step closer to saving her father. She wasted no time in using her yoyo to quickly follow after Chat Noir, swinging up higher than the rooftop to better take in the scene. Doughstroyer, reclaiming his bread claymore from earlier, was locked in a stalemate with Chat Noir, neither able to make headway against the other. “Just give in and hand over your Miraculous. Ladybug isn’t coming, so this fighting is all for naught,” Doughstroyer spat between clenched teeth.

Ladybug swung wide, yoyo string wrapping round Doughstroyer’s makeshift weapon before a good yank sent it flying out of his grip and into the night. “Now this party can really get started,” she quipped, landing next to a startled Chat Noir. He recovered quickly, not quite meeting her gaze - understandably upset at her tardiness. Ladybug promised to make it up to him later, shifting her attention to Doughstroyer as the villain uttered a belly-deep laugh.

“Two birds with one stone, then,” he said after the laugh subsided, dough gun lifting in their direction. “Any ideas, bugaboo? This would be a good time for a bit of luck,” Chat Noir muttered next to her.

“Avoid that dough at all costs, until we figure out where the akuma is,” Ladybug said, grimly. She refused to risk using her Lucky Charm so early, when they couldn’t safely flush it out of hiding. They split apart as Doughstroyer fired at them, coming at the villain from different sides to divide his attention.

To her surprise, however, this proved near disastrous as Doughstroyer pointed his gun straight down and pressed a new button that spewed forth a thick cloud of flour to conceal him from view. “It’s not going to be that easy to stop me!” the villain taunted. “Save yourselves the trouble and set down your Miraculouses. You don’t want to draw this out any longer.” Ladybug coughed, stifling the sound with the back of her hand, lest it lead Doughstroyer her way. Something about Doughstroyer’s words stood out, she thought, mulling them over as she tried to find her way out of the flour cloud.

Despite the cloud shielding him from sight, it had to hinder him as well, if he’d asked for them to just put their Miraculous down. It bought her some precious few seconds to ponder the best method for disabling that blasted gun of his - the most likely object to contain the akuma. ( _Come on, girl, think. You help out papa in the shop - what can you do with dough? _)__

____

____

Inspiration followed on the heels of that thought. Dough was simply flour mixed with water, and she recalled lessons from her father as a young girl where he showed her that too much water made the consistency too runny to bake with, lacking flour to bind it with. The rooftop of La Grand Paris conveniently had a pool... so if they could somehow make use of all that water...

“Lucky Charm!”

A familiar flash transformed her yoyo into... a medium-sized trampoline, Ladybug catching this with a beleaguered face. What was she supposed to do with this, make Doughstroyer cannon ball into the pool? The flour cloud took this moment to disperse, leaving both her and Chat Noir exposed once more. “Ha! Hahahaha! Good luck using THAT to defeat me!” Doughstroyer guffawed. Even Chat Noir raised a brow at the trampoline, and he’d seen a lot of improbable objects manifested from her Lucky Charm.

She ignored both of them as she scanned the rooftop for clues, eventually landing on the planter that had distracted Doughstroyer earlier. There was another planter just on the other side of the pool, Ladybug hastening closer to Chat Noir to explain her plan.

“Gotcha, milady,” he said, gripping his staff a little more tightly. He kept Doughstroyer occupied while she hurried over to the pool and set down her trampoline, proceeding to climb up on the railing just behind the planter. “Now!” Ladybug shouted, as Chat Noir expertly maneuvered Doughstroyer into just the right spot. He let out a yelp as a surprise cookie disc went whizzing by, Ladybug only just containing her own exclamation as it buried itself in the planter, inches from where her hands rested.

Doughstroyer laughed again, his weapon pointed in Chat Noir’s direction as the feline hero jumped away and landed neatly in front of Ladybug. A quick extension of his staff, a shove from her, and the planter rolled unevenly down the metal pole to bounce off her trampoline. It landed in the pool with a tremendous splash, soaking all three of them head to foot.

“That was your big idea? Pfthahaha! You should have just handed over your Miraculous and spared yourself the headache while you had the chance,” Doughstroyer said, spitting out a small fountain’s worth of water. He fired his dough gun, looking completely confident that victory was close at hand, only for a goopy stream that didn’t quite reach the superhero pair to spray out instead. “...a minor inconvenience,” the villain muttered, reaching under his apron for something else to use as he nervously backed away.

With his most dangerous toy out of commission, all that was left was to separate it from him - or destroy it, Ladybug thought with a grin that was echoed on Chat Noir’s face. “Knead a little help with that dough problem?” he quipped, raising his right hand to prepare Cataclysm.

\--

“Pound it!” the duo said in unison, fist bumping after her father had been successfully freed from the akuma. Tom Dupain sat on one of the rooftop chairs rubbing his head, utterly bewildered at how he’d ended up so far from home. “Thank you again for helping me out,” he said to them now. “If you see my daughter, please tell her to come home. And that I’m sorry I was so harsh.”

Not being able to comfort her father sucked, majorly, but Ladybug kept the emotions from spilling out as she nodded at the heartfelt plea.

“Chat Noir! Hang on a moment,” she said as her partner turned to leave. “I’m so, so sorry I took so long coming to help you. There was so much happening, but it doesn’t excuse me leaving you to fight the akuma alone. I won’t let it happen again.” If he was angry, he had every right to be, and she’d accept that as her due. Internal struggle was clearly written on his face, a long sigh harshly expelled as he came to some decision.

“We’re not perfect, bugaboo. Yeah, I’m upset, but more so at myself than at you. How can I call myself your partner if I get trounced so easily in a fight?” Chat Noir expressed. “You need a strong, reliable hero backing you up, and tonight that wasn’t me.”

Ladybug could only ponder this briefly, knowing their window for transforming back was almost up. “You just said it, kitty cat. We’re not perfect. It just means we both have room to improve, so don’t beat yourself up over it. I’d have you at my back any day, no matter how strong you are,” she replied, flashing him a reassuring smile. “Time’s up, though. See you around, kitty!”

They went their separate ways into the night, hearts both feeling a little lighter.

\--

Marinette found herself back outside the stairs to the station that had kick-started the whole mess, thoughts of Adrien pushing everything else aside. He had to be down there, a likely victim of the early attack by Doughstroyer. Sure enough, as she made to hurry down the stairs, Adrien’s familiar blonde head came into view halfway down, the pair nearly stumbling into one another.

“Adrien! T-thank goodness you’re okay! What happened?” Marinette said, breathlessly. He scratched at the back of his head, embarrassed. “Right as we got to the stairs, someone knocked me aside in all the panic, and that Doughstroyer guy managed to get me,” Adrien responded with a bashful smile that made her heart do flipflops. They walked back to the top of the stairs, Marinette’s relief that he was alright fading as she realized how dark it had gotten out.

She couldn’t help sighing, eliciting a curious look from the boy next to her. “Oh. It’s... well, I guess it’s too late to do that shopping trip I mentioned earlier,” Marinette confessed. Another pang of despair as it settled in that this also meant the end of her time spent with Adrien. ( _And I wasn’t even making a huge fool out of myself this time. Oh well._ ) 

When she looked over at him, Adrien appeared deep in thought before those pretty green eyes focused on her. “It’s not that late out, but tell you what - if the shop you need to go to is closed, I’ll ask Nathalie to send my driver to take us home, and we can try again tomorrow,” he offered.

Her heart soared - more time with Adrien was a bonus, but he’d gone and reminded her of why she’d fallen for him, with his generous, kind heart. He’d made this offer without any expectation of it being returned, one friend to another.

( _You don't need superpowers to be a hero._ ) Chat Noir's voice, a statement perfect for this moment. Perhaps it wasn't equatable to what she'd done, but it didn't diminish the act in the slightest, when it stemmed from that same feeling - helping someone.

“You’d really do all that for me, after everything that happened...? T-thank you, Adrien,” Marinette managed to say without some mortifying blush or verbal clumsiness tripping her up. Adrien offered his hand, and Marinette gladly took it before leading the way, the pair settling into easy idle chatter, as if the evening had not been interrupted by one of Hawk Moth’s akumas.


End file.
